Discovering Our State Through Science, Art, and Story

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The Sea Lions are back together and off to a wonderful start! We’ve launched into an exciting new unit of study focused on the Ecoregions of Oregon, and the classroom is buzzing with curiosity and enthusiasm. The Sea Lions are becoming true experts in the land, plants, animals, climate, and unique challenges of their assigned regions. Along the way, they’ve taken on many roles—nonfiction readers and writers, cartographers, and artists—and they are so proud of the regions they are studying.

In math, we’ve been busy measuring in all kinds of ways. Students are learning how we measure time using analog clocks and calendars, as well as exploring length, temperature, and weight using both standard and metric units. It’s been exciting to see them make connections between math and the real world around them.

Our Book-Art reports (called One-Pagers) have given the Sea Lions a creative way to show what they know about their novels through both writing and art. These projects have truly been a labor of love and have stretched students to use important executive function skills such as planning, focus, memory, and organization.

Above all, we’ve been savoring time together—playing outside in the chilly weather, enjoying one another’s company, and celebrating the friendships that continue to grow and strengthen throughout the year.

A Week Full of Light, Learning, and Sea Lion Magic

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The Sea Lions spent a truly glorious week together! We dove into persuasive writing, crafting letters addressed to parents that tried to convince them why a special gift or an exciting adventure was absolutely deserved. The papers were thoughtfully organized, full of strong reasons, and very convincing—watch out, parents!

In math, we’ve been working extra hard on our Fast Facts, building speed and confidence as we challenge ourselves to get our facts down on paper in under one minute. We’ve also been stretching our thinking with multi-step story problems. Students are learning to pause and visualize themselves in the situation, take notes, and draw pictures to help guide their problem-solving—skills that will serve them well across all areas of learning.

We held an extra-special Art-In on Wednesday, creating beautiful snowy landscapes inspired by the light of the Winter Solstice, which we’ve been learning about during our Friday Popcorn Reading Summit. The day felt even more magical with a visit from Ms. McKenzie (our wonderful music teacher and a Sea Lion parent!), who taught us songs celebrating the importance of light during this season.

The Sea Lions have had such a magical beginning to their school year together, and we can’t wait to see what the new year brings!

Stitches, Stories, and Solstice Wonder

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The Sea Lion classroom has been full of holiday joy this week as students worked to create special, handmade ornaments for their families. We learned backstitch and star stitch embroidery, persevering even when threads got tangled and things felt tricky. It was a wonderful opportunity to practice our 3-Breath Pause and remind ourselves that “we get better at what we practice.”

We also held our very first Friday Popcorn Reading Forum, enjoying some cozy time together as students took turns reading challenging nonfiction texts. As we read, we deepened our understanding of the astronomy of the Winter Solstice, asking thoughtful questions and building new knowledge together.

It’s been a week filled with creativity, patience, curiosity, and community—exactly the kind of learning we love in the Sea Lion classroom.

Block Prints, Chachalu, and Stone Soup: A Week of Art, Culture, and Community

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The Sea Lions wrapped up a remarkable week by completing and printing their block print carvings—an artistic culmination of our learning about the natural world and the First Peoples of the Pacific Northwest. Each student researched the Chinuk Wawa name for the plant or animal that inspired their print, then wrote about its cultural significance for Indigenous tribes. Their finished pieces are absolutely stunning—deeply thoughtful works of art that beautifully reflect their learning, respect, and curiosity throughout this unit of study.

Midweek, we traveled to the Chachalu Museum of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, where we were guided by Ms. Crystal, a tribal member and educator. She shared oral stories, personal history, and teachings that brought the exhibits to life. The Sea Lions explored a replica longhouse—complete with a child’s sleeping bed—and observed dentailum shells, canoes, fishing tools, baskets, carvings, and more. Ms. Crystal explained the meaning behind the symbols found in the artwork, and she was truly impressed by our students’ knowledge, insightful questions, and deep engagement. Our learners were captivated and honored to be welcomed into such an important cultural space.

We ended our week with a joyful Friday Summit and Stone Soup celebration. The Sea Lions spent the morning helping the preschoolers chop vegetables and cheese for the shared meal, practicing patience, care, and collaboration. Then they led the entire Friday Summit with pride and confidence before returning to the classroom to enjoy our Stone Soup together—served with love by our wonderful ELC parent volunteers. During our closing gratitude meditation, we reflected on how lucky we are to be part of a community that learns together, honors each other, and shares in traditions of generosity.

It was a week full of meaning, creativity, culture, connection—and the Sea Lions shone in every moment.

Studying History, Honoring Service, and Celebrating Creativity

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The Sea Lions did so much this week, it’s hard to fit it all into one blog entry! On Saturday, families drove north to Washington to visit the Lelooska Tribal Museum. We toured the museum and were amazed by the incredible number of artifacts collected from tribes across the Pacific Northwest. Then we moved into the longhouse to take part in the Living History performance—an experience for all the senses! Students were captivated by the rhythmic drumming, the vibrant regalia, and the extraordinary hand-carved masks that seemed to come to life before our eyes. It was truly a night like no other!

On Monday, we honored Veterans Day by reading a nonfiction article about the United States flag and the meaning behind its symbols. We were fortunate to be visited by Sea Lion dad and U.S. Marine veteran Mr. Frank, who shared photos and stories from his time in the military. His reflections reminded us of the importance of understanding people who seem different from us and of always seeking peace first.

Back in the classroom, we’ve been loving our new Fast Facts practice! Sea Lions are showing big improvements in multiplication fact fluency as they race against the clock to solve as many problems as possible in one minute. The energy and excitement around math have been contagious!

We are also hard at work on our Native American research papers, learning how to comprehend more challenging texts, synthesize information, and organize our ideas into well-structured teaching documents. Students are excited to share what they’ve learned with one another and to celebrate the incredible diversity and knowledge of Pacific Northwest tribes.

Finally, we began carving our block print art this week. Students thoughtfully considered positive and negative space and other elements of design as they created artwork inspired by the First Foods and Lifeways of First Peoples. With care and precision, they used carving tools to transfer their designs onto linoleum blocks. We can’t wait to start the printing process next week and see their visions come to life in ink!

What a remarkable week of learning, creativity, and connection for the Sea Lions!

Flags, Artifacts, and Leadership!

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Since Ms. Ellie was on vacation last week, this blog is a smattering of all the exciting activities we’ve done over the past two weeks — and wow, have we been busy!

We dove deep into our study of the nine federally recognized tribes in Oregon, learning about their histories, cultures, and symbols. We paid special attention to each tribal flag and discussed why flags are important to a community. In small groups, we researched the meaning behind each flag’s symbols and shared our findings with our classmates. The Sea Lions impressed everyone with their curiosity and thoughtful insights!

We were also visited by Ms. Nikol from Pacific University’s Indigenous Student Alliance, who brought an incredible collection of artifacts and belongings. We had the chance to see and touch items like a real buffalo hide, musical instruments, porcupine quills, feathers, weaving, and more. Ms. Nikol was amazed by our prior knowledge and the deep respect our students showed for these cultural treasures.

Halloween brought a little spooky fun! We celebrated with scary cupcakes and a Halloween Escape Room that challenged our teamwork and problem-solving skills. It was thrilling to see how well everyone collaborated to solve the puzzles and uncover the hidden message!

This week, we took a field trip to the Oregon Historical Society in Portland. Although we couldn’t take photos inside the main exhibit, we saw fascinating displays of Oregon Tribal belongings — including baskets, cedar canoes, beaded clothing, beaver pelts, and fishing tools. Seeing these historical items up close helped us connect our classroom learning to the real artifacts of Oregon’s First Peoples.

We wrapped up our week by leading the Friday Summit gathering for the whole school. The Sea Lions have grown into such confident leaders — guiding over 100 students and teachers with ease, energy, and joy. What a powerful way to end our week of learning and leadership!

A Week of Art, Exploration, and Community

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The Sea Lions had an incredible week filled with creativity, adventure, and community spirit!

In art, we glazed our clay pencil cups and can hardly wait to see how they turn out once they emerge from the kiln. The colors, textures, and designs are sure to shine! We also explored the art and life of Vincent Van Gogh, learning about his expressive brushstrokes, bold colors, and the way he used art to capture emotion. Inspired by his work, we created our own layered acrylic self-portraits, each one as unique and beautiful as the artist who painted it.

Our first field trip of the year took us to Chehalem Ridge Nature Park, where we learned about the Seasonal Rounds and Lifeways of the Atfalati-Kalapuya people. We discovered the significance of First Foods like Wapato and Camas, and learned about how the Oregon White Oak and controlled fires were used to encourage new growth across the land. ELC parent Ms. Cassie shared her expertise in foraging, teaching us about native plants that can be used as food and medicine. Our long, glorious hike led us through forests and meadows, and we even caught a breathtaking view of the Cascade Range!

Back in the classroom, the Sea Lions became cartographers, creating detailed maps complete with compass roses and keys. We practiced using the cardinal directions and began plotting Oregon’s mountain ranges, keeping in mind the different types of mountains—volcanic, folded, and fault-block—that we’ve been studying.

We ended the week with the ELC Fun Run, a beloved tradition that celebrates effort, joy, and teamwork. It was heartwarming to watch our Sea Lion leaders cheering for the younger classes, and then for one another as they ran their hearts out. What a wonderful reminder of the strong and caring community we’re building together!

Teamwork, Mountains, and Math Vibes!

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The Sea Lions had another action-packed week full of teamwork, creativity, and discovery!

In PE, we played a relay hoop game that challenged us to work together, strategize, stay honest, and show resiliency as we tried to make it across the field while staying inside a single hula hoop. It was a rollicking good time with lots of laughter and cheering!

On Friday, we kicked off our first Struggly Math Activities—hands-on, multi-step problem-solving challenges that require teamwork and perseverance. Our classroom was alive with math vibes as students puzzled their way through tricky challenges and celebrated each “aha!” moment.

In art, we worked on our Self-Portraits, using measurement and guidelines to explore how the features on our faces line up in similar ways. The Sea Lions are pretty impressed with the results so far—and so are we!

Our Literacy Circles are off to a great start, with students managing their own small groups and leading thoughtful discussions about their books. It’s wonderful to see such independence and collaboration at work.

We also began our brand-new unit of study with a geology and geography lesson from Mr. Mark. We learned about tectonic plates and the incredible forces that form mountains. We explored three types of mountains found in Oregon—volcanic, folded, and fault-block—and began connecting our learning to Oregon’s history from time immemorial.

To top it all off, we had a special PE session with Coach Jamshid Khajavi, who recently starred in an acclaimed film about taking a group of elementary students to the National Ultimate Frisbee Championships. He taught us how to play Ultimate Frisbee, and we had a blast learning this exciting new sport. We can’t wait to play again soon!

What a wonderful week of learning, teamwork, and joy in the Sea Lion classroom!

Tuning In and Teaming Up!

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The Sea Lions’ study of the brain and the limbic system took them on an exciting journey into the sense of hearing this week. Graduate students from Pacific’s School of Audiology visited our classroom to teach us all about ear anatomy and how our sense of hearing helps us function in the world. They set up fantastic learning stations where students explored topics like hearing and balance, hearing loss, ear anatomy, and ways to protect our ears from harmful levels of sound. Alongside this, the Sea Lions have been practicing listening meditations, training their brains to filter out background noise and focus on the sounds that matter most in their daily lives at school.

In addition, the Sea Lions enjoyed their very first PE class of the year! It was a joyful time filled with collaborative games that strengthened their sense of community. The students worked beautifully together, showing teamwork and kindness, and the small-group activities were both successful and full of fun.

It was a week full of curiosity, teamwork, and joy. From tuning in to the power of our sense of hearing to teaming up in games that celebrate community, the Sea Lions are off to a wonderful start. We can’t wait to see where our learning adventures take us next!

A Week of Brains and Eyes

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The Sea Lions got up close and personal with the brain this week thanks to a hands-on lecture and exploration with Ms. Leisl—an ELC parent and biology professor. Students had the incredible opportunity to examine brain models and three preserved specimens: a sheep’s brain, a cat’s brain, and the extra-large brain of a human. Professor Leisl guided us through the fascinating world of neuroscience, explaining how mindfulness and breath can help calm the amygdala and strengthen the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain that helps us make thoughtful decisions.

Later in the week, we explored the practice of Mindful Seeing—training our eyes to notice tiny details in the world around us. Students practiced focusing carefully and learned how our prefrontal cortex helps our bodies respond calmly to visual challenges and threats.

Our learning adventure continued with a field trip to Pacific University’s Optometry Clinic. Dr. Mari, Dr. Mathew, and Dr. Aaron gave us a wonderful tour of the clinic and labs. We marveled at glass cases filled with optometry artifacts and eye doctor tools that were more than 100 years old. Upstairs, we stepped into the learning lab, where optometry students train to become eye doctors. One highlight was examining Dr. Mathew’s eyeball up close through a special microscope—such a memorable moment!

We also visited a classroom where we learned more about how the eye responds to light and how doctors test the health of our vision. Our tour ended in the Optical Sports Lab, where students put their eyes to the test with sports-related activities that challenged hand-eye coordination and focus.

It’s been an exciting week of discoveries for the Sea Lions. We’re learning so much about how our brains and eyes work—and having a blast along the way!

Freakishly Fun Friday (And More!)

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The Sea Lions had another busy week of learning, creating, and caring for one another. During our first full week together, we reviewed key math concepts to build a strong foundation before diving into our math workbooks. We also puzzled our way through Number Corner, exploring multiplication strategies and even experimenting with the Ancient Egyptian number system. It’s been such fun to share ideas and solve problems as a team!

These Sea Lions are also proving to be true readers. Each morning, they love gathering in our cozy reading corner to enjoy a good book side by side. In science, we continued our study of the brain with lively skits, learning about the Reticular Activating System and how it helps us filter out distractions so we can really focus on the task at hand.

We wrapped up the week with a Freakishly Fun Friday project—designing and building clay slab pencil cups. Watching their creations take shape was truly exciting, and we can’t wait to put them to use!

Sea Lions Make a Splash In Week One!

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Our first week of school has been full of energy, creativity, and teamwork! The Sea Lions have been working hard to build a classroom where everyone feels welcome and supported. We’ve spent time reflecting on what it means to be a strong community of leaders, and already we are seeing students step up to help one another and make sure everyone belongs.

In art, we dove into the bold and exciting world of Pop Art! After studying the history of Pop Art and the work of Roy Lichtenstein, students began creating special name art in a true Pop-Art style. The bright colors and comic-inspired details were a fun way for each student to express their individuality. When the art is hung on our wall, we predict a big POP for the eye!

In writing, we jumped right into using the PLEASE strategy to organize our ideas. The Sea Lions are practicing how to plan, draft, and polish their paragraphs so they can become quick and confident writers.

And in reading, we’ve been practicing how to find the main idea and key details in text—important skills that will help us understand and remember what we read.

We haven’t stopped there, though! We are also learning about our brain—specifically the limbic system—and how it helps control our emotions. The Sea Lions are discovering the power of the breath for staying calm, focused, and ready to learn during the busy parts of our day.

Most of all, we’ve enjoyed being part of a pretty amazing community of learners. We can’t wait for all the incredible learning and great fun we will share together this year. Go Sea Lions, go!!